The present invention relates to electronic equipment, and more particularly, to methods and apparatuses that enable electronic equipment to communicate information about itself after it has been assembled.
When electronic equipment is being manufactured, it is not uncommon for testing to be performed on various components as production progresses. As a last step in production, the equipment is mounted in a housing, and a final test is performed to ensure that the equipment is functioning properly. In many instances, this poses no problem because the units being manufactured are identical to one another, so that the same steps are performed during final test from one unit to the next.
In some cases, however, the devices being manufactured are not identical to one another, even though they may nominally perform the same function. For example, some devices may differ from one another with respect to how much memory they have installed, and/or what level of performance can be expected from an installed processor or other component. In other examples, devices may differ from one another even if they are built from identical components.
One such example is a wireless headset such as the one described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/619,530, filed on Jul. 19, 2000 entitled xe2x80x9cReconfigurable Headset Switchxe2x80x9d, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The headset described in the referenced U.S. patent application establishes a wireless connection between itself and its associated device, which may be for example a telephone (e.g,. a cellular telephone). The wireless connection may be supported by radio technology, such as BLUETOOTH(trademark)-compatible technology. More information about the BLUETOOTH(trademark) wireless technology specification can be found on the Internet at www.bluetooth.com. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Sweden.
BLUETOOTH(trademark) technology permits a plurality of devices to establish ad hoc networks with one another, as needed. To distinguish one unit from the next over the radio network, each unit is associated with a unique identification number or address. This unique address information is stored within each device. Consequently, equipment such as the above-mentioned wireless headset may differ from one unit to the next in that each has a different address stored therein. This can pose a problem during the final testing of the unit, since it is necessary for the testing apparatus to know the address information of the unit under test before it can attempt to establish a wireless connection with the unit.
A number of techniques are known for providing the device-related information (e.g., the unique address information in the case of the above-mentioned wireless headset) to the testing apparatus. One such solution includes putting a bar code label onto the device, wherein the bar code contains the device-related information. The test equipment can then include a bar code scanner for reading the necessary information off of each device under test. A problem with this solution is that there is often no room on the device under test for a bar code label. For example, the above-mentioned wireless headset is a very compact device that does not offer much surface area for placement of a bar code label.
Another conventional solution includes providing an extra electrical connector on the device. A cable from the test equipment is connected to the extra connector, and the information is communicated from the device under test to the test equipment using known communication techniques. A problem with this solution is that the hardware necessary to support the extra connector (including the extra connector itself) often makes the device heavier and costlier. In a small, portable device, this can be a serious drawback.
Yet another conventional solution involves using communication equipment that is already built into the device under test. For example, in the case of the above-referenced wireless headset, it is known that BLUETOOTH(trademark) equipment is installed. It is then possible to design the device in such a way that the BLUETOOTH(trademark) radio equipment can be utilized to communicate the device-related information from the device under test to the test equipment. This solution, too, has its drawbacks, most notably the slow communication speed afforded by the BLUETOOTH(trademark) connection.
There is, therefore, the need to provide methods and apparatuses that enable a device to communicate its device-related information to external equipment.
It should be emphasized that the terms xe2x80x9ccomprisesxe2x80x9dand xe2x80x9ccomprisingxe2x80x9d, when used in this specification, are taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components; but the use of these terms does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the foregoing and other objects are achieved in methods and apparatuses that communicate device-related information from a device to external equipment. This is done by generating a modulated signal that represents the device-related information; and supplying the modulated signal to an indicator light in the device, whereby the indicator light generates a modulated light signal that conveys the device-related information. The type of modulation may be, for example, pulse code modulation. In some embodiments, the modulated signal conveys information at a rate of 1200 baud, although this is not an essential feature of the invention.
In some embodiments, the indicator light is a light emitting diode, although this is not essential to the invention.
It is advantageous, when practicing the invention, to use an indicator light that, during normal operation of the device, is used to indicate a status condition of the device. The status information may be, for example, an on/off condition of the device.
In another aspect of the invention, the device-related information may be address information that is used in establishing ad hoc radio connections with other devices. This may be useful where the ad hoc radio connections are, for example, BLUETOOTH(trademark) connections.
In alternative embodiments, the device-related information may be a serial number of the device; a software version level of software loaded in the device; a production date of the device. In still other alternative embodiments in which the device is battery charger, the device-related information may alternatively be charger status information or an indication of an amount of charging current.
The invention is useful in many types of devices, including but not limited to wireless headsets and battery chargers.